THREAD! 👇 Manchester City started their 2020/21 Premier League campaign with a win over Wolves. Our coaches give you their tactical insight into the game 🐺 #WOLMCI 🔵
🔍 Wolves, shorn of Diego Jota, were organised into a 3-5-2 formation led by the front two of Daniel Podence and Raúl Jiménez (1/8)
🔍 When they were defending that 3-5-2 became a 5-3-2, via wing-backs Adama Traoré and Fernando Marçal – later replaced by Ruben Vinagre – withdrawing into defence (2/8)
🔍 Through Pedro Neto advancing from central midfield, and their wing-backs also advancing, Wolves operated with five points of attack across the pitch (3/8)
🔍 They strung more passes together during the second half, and complemented those with combinations that helped them to advance into the final third, but were wasteful in front of goal (4/8)
🔍 When Walker and Mendy advanced from full-back, Phil Foden drifted infield to feature as an attacking central midfielder, and Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne operated as second strikers (7/8)
🔍 City built possession intelligently; they formed a back three to create a three-on-two, circulated the ball, and either advanced into half-spaces or drew one of Wolves’ midfielders before advancing (8/8)
Spain used a 4-3-3 structure and built play patiently from the back, despite Germany pressing aggressively from their 4-2-3-1. They moved the ball around the back line to isolate Thomas Müller, before a centre-back stepped out with the ball into midfield... 🧐🧵
Olmo continued to move inside and Asensio dropped deep, in the process pulling Süle out of his position in Germany’s back line. This helped Spain to build out from the back and get around Germany’s increasingly effective high press... 🧐🧵
Traditionally, full-backs are the widest players in a back four, and as a result they attack and defend mostly in the wide areas. However, full-backs who move inside into central spaces are known as ‘inverted full-backs’. This movement adds an extra presence centrally... ↩️🧐
Although Pep Guardiola is the coach most associated with the inverted full-back, Johan Cruyff used them with Barcelona many years before. Then, he often converted the 4-3-3 into a 3-4-3 diamond, with one full-back inverting into central midfield... ↩️🧐
Manchester United were set up in a 4-2-3-1 shape, but Fred pushed forward from the double pivot to become a number 8 and give them a stronger attacking presence in central midfield. Bruno Fernandes then adapted his positioning, moving into the left inside channel... 🧐🧵
The hosts eventually pushed both full-backs higher, primarily working around the outside of Tottenham’s wing-backs. United’s wingers then came inside, with the freedom to rotate with Fred and Fernandes, as long as both inside channels were always occupied... 🧐🧵
Barcelona were set up in a 4-3-3, against a Madrid 4-4-2 defensive block. Torres moved inside to support centre-forward Aubameyang. De Jong and Pedri widened to support through the inside channels, with Busquets left as the single pivot ahead of the two centre-backs... 🧐🧵
Busquets dropped into defence to draw one of Madrid’s central midfielders up, and Pedri drifted wider to drag the other out. This often left De Jong as the free man to receive in the inside channel when Barcelona’s back line could access him... 🧐🧵
4-4-2 is made up of three distinct lines. The back four including two centre-backs and two full-backs. Ahead of them, a midfield four features two players in the middle and one on each side. Then the front two in attack who provide both height and goalscoring threat... 4️⃣4️⃣2️⃣🧵
In the 1950s, Viktor Maslov developed another variation of the 4-2-4, in which the two wingers dropped back alongside the two central midfielders. So originated the 4-4-2, which worked to overload opposition midfields with traditionally fewer numbers... 4️⃣4️⃣2️⃣🧵